On July 2 and 3, 2009 100 waste pickers from across the country gathered for South Africa's First National Waste Picker Meeting. The waste pickers came from 26 landfills in seven of South Africa's nine provinces.

groundWork's report about the role of the informal recoverers and their influence of waste management systems. Case studies from South-African municipalities are presented. Includes Msunduzi's Attempt to Eradicate Reclaiming, the struggle against enclosure in Metsimaholo Municipality, Inclusion and Support for Reclaimers in Emfuleni, Reclaiming in Three Municipalities, and policy recommendations.

Management of burgeoning solid wastes has become a critical issue for almost all the major cities in India. Although the responsibility of solid waste management remains primarily with the municipal bodies, several other stakeholder groups play significant roles in the process. In the Indian scenario the so-called waste pickers, who come from highly vulnerable social backgrounds, play a unique role.

This report is based on a study of 103 waste recyclers. It shows that the sector has been impacted by the crash in prices of scrap which happened from April to December 2008. 70% of those interviewed stated that their work was bad or very bad. Of these, 14% identified the drop in share prices as a cause of the price crash. The study revealed that wastepickers were being forced to liquidate their assets, including those kept aside for emergencies.

"Landfill gas" is not the same as "natural gas" or "methane." They are three separate terms that mean different things. The term "landfill methane" is deceiving as it implies that landfill gas is simply methane. Landfill gas is about 45-55% methane, with the remainder being mostly carbon dioxide (CO2).

New Resources Added

Copyright/Disclaimer

Photos used in this site are owned by GAIA members and allies. For materials posted in the library, we've been making our best effort to obtain the author's permission. Please contact us if you have any questions or request on this matter.